Australia (half?) Lap July 2019

I've decided to do a 3 month trip around Australia in my 2017 Outback, with the focus on the Kimberley area. I'll be starting in Tassie, driving across the Nullarbor to Perth, up the coast to Exmouth, across to Darwin via the Kimberley, then down through Alice Springs and maybe the Oodnadata track, and back to Tassie.

I thought I better make a post since this site has helped me in deciding what I should and should not do on a tight budget for this trip.

I have a 2.5 Outback, and since the budget is tight, I decided to skip the lift kit at this stage and go with 235/60r18 Yokohama Geloandar G015s on stock rims ($1400 for 5), King KSRS-56 rear springs ($150 for springs, $200 install), and a Subaxtreme sump guard ($510 w/ shipping self install). All my other money has gone into kitting the car out so I can live out of it with my partner.

The G015 in the larger than stock size fits in the spare wheel well fine. But from what I read it only fits in the Australian model Outback because we have a smaller 60L fuel tank.

I have also copied this for a great storage idea for jackets etc [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1zX1YxY6BE"]DIY CEILING CARGO NET CAR STORAGE - Practical camping - YouTube[/ame]

I'll update the thread as I get things onto the car in the next month before I leave.

If it were me, I'd prioritise the lift BEFORE the tyres....

Speaking from experience, clearance has been the main attribute that has got me to some of Australia's most amazing locations. I felt the car went better on sand using road tyres, my ATs only really proved themselves in deep mud and clay.

Just my two cents.....I'm not wrong and I'm not right.

Thanks for the input Tweaksta, and I did consider it. However I’m going to have the car loaded right up with weight and I didn’t like the thought of those stock tires carrying loads of weight on gravel roads. The Geolandars aren’t that aggressive anyway, just tougher for a bit more confidence. Also, as it’ll be my first trip, if I can’t get somewhere I want to, I’ll just have to save it for the next trip! There’s too many places to do in 3 short months. That’s my logic anyway.

That's a fair assumption, and new tyres do make the car feel good. You'll have a cracker. Enjoy!!

Sounds like a great trip! Good tyres are important especially if you're going to do Gibb River Rd which has very sharp shale in places and will rip HT tyres with ease.

Thanks guys, definitely looking forward to it!

[MENTION=15578]hhouston6[/MENTION] can I assume you'll be in the Kimberley in winter ("The Dry")? It gets very uncomfortable in summer ("The Wet") along with impassable roads due to flooding.

Yeah we’ll get there late August I reckon. Probably a bit late for the best conditions but hopefully we can still enjoy it.

It's usually still OK up to September

Grumpy old man's take on tyres:
I don't think one 'needs' AT tyres for good gravel roads such as the Oodnadatta Track. From my poking around tyre shops I reckon good quality road tyres have stronger sidewalls and fewer places for sharp stones to get stuck than ordinary AT tyres. Look at some sample tyres and feel for yourself, particularly between the blocks. You don't need the extra grip of an AT tyre on a good, fairly flat gravel road, and certainly not on bitumen. You'll do 90% of the trip on bitumen after all. My Bridgestone Ecopia tyres have very stiff sidewalls. I did the Ood Track and to and from Arkaroola on half worn original equipment Yokos without trouble, loaded up for camping. One puncture from a nail. I might have been lucky, but that's my story. I had similar luck on the Darling River run, and in the Gawler Ranges in SA.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/356xxof3ig2bbvf/Packed 3.jpg?dl=0

The car at Arkaroola - packed to the gunnels.

If you plan on doing the GRR or straying onto side tracks then some underbody protection might be a good idea - I would not worry about a lift. I would not take (what was at the time) my expensive car down a track I might get stuck on, particularly in somewhere as remote as the Kimberly.

Places like Windjana Gorge or Tunnel Creek are easy enough to get to as I recall. Mitchell Falls was serious 4WD country only. The OKA we were in (part of a tour) went real slow along that track.

Drysdale Station's website has good info about the GRR.

https://www.drysdaleriver.com.au/

Anyway that's a grumpy old man 2c worth - for what it's worth.

My avatar is the car on a side track near Lake Gairdner, SA. We stayed at Mt Ive station for a few days.

Yep. I did the Oodnadatta (in flood and rain) and the Flinders Ranges from Wilpena to Arkaroola to Lake Frome and then to Yunta on roadies. Not a problem was had.

Tibooburra - Cameron corner - Coongie lakes (the dune track around the back) - Currawinya - Thargomindah - Dowling track also was a road tyre trip. Not a puncture nor any issues with traction.

I did the Darling River run in our campervan with 10 year old light truck roadies.

I do have ATs now, but once they wear out I'll go back to roadies. I bought the ATs for the Simpson but probably didn't need them. They are amazing on soft sand, mud and clay but in all honesty, sand dunes are probably a bit easier with road tyres because the ATs fully bite and dig in whereas the road tyres float over the top, tiny bits of individual wheel slippage are tolerable and it feels more effortless. The other thing is the look, ATs just look great on a Foz or OB I reckon.

I'm not saying one is better than the other in any way....a good tyre is a good tyre. Good tyres make you feel good.

When I did the Gibb RR in 2016 there was so much tyre repair going on at various stations it led me to ask what was the problem - "people coming out here in brand new 4WDs with highway tyres" was the response.

I agree the the Oodnadatta Track is no problem as I was on it in April. A few years ago I did get a tread edge / sidewall puncture from an Old Ghan railway spike though.

UPDATE:
I've installed the Subaxtreme sump guard and had the Kings Springs installed. The rear springs have lifted the rear about an inch by the looks of things. I didn't have a good before photo so I just tried to capture the car in the same place as the previous photo for a comparison. You can see how much higher the car is sitting at the rear wheel well in the second photo. Both photos are with the car with no load in the rear.

I've also added the Thule roof racks which attach to the factory roof racks. Thule aerobars, Thule 753 foot pack and Thule 4063 fitting kit. Got it all second hand. I have installed onto this an Adventure Kings Awning (with awning tent).

I've installed a Kickass 120AH battery pack and wiring kit from Australiandirect.com.au, with an Adventure Kings 120w solar blanket, and a Dometic CFF45 fridge.

I've got a fold up camp kitchen from drifta.com.au which is amazing. The Drifta Camp Kitchen. It fits in the back of the Outback perfectly.

Have you got the tyres yet? I wouldn't get a light duty all terrain for what you're planning, I think that's very likely to end in disaster with you sitting on the side of the road in some remote area with no spare tyres left

I strongly suggest LT construction ATs. Evenb then you can still get multiple punctures but they are much more likely to cope with the conditions of where you're going

IMO, you can't go past BFG KO2s for touring the outback & remote areas. They're tough & proven on the harsh outback roads

Kumho AT51 also have LT in some sizes. Not sure what others. But you need LT tyres!!!

Also, when are you going? It gets dangerously hot there in summer

You had Kings raised springs fitted? I'm sorry, you're going to hate them on the corrugations. I had Kings raised springs on my Foz doing the Subaru Extreme 8 Deserts Challenge. Because they are so stiff they don't absorb any of the rattles & literally shake the car & everything in it to pieces. This is a list of what broke, purely from the corrugations:
windscreen
satnav/GPS
central locking
air conditioning (this was a big problem, without it you need to drive with the windows open so everything inside gets covered in dust)
reverse switch on gearbox
phone (yes even my phone!)

Thanks [MENTION=2617]NachaLuva[/MENTION].

Definitely not going in summer. Probably be up the top end around August - September.

I can’t get LT tyres that fit on the stock 18” rims that fit on a Subie. Definitely looked into it. But also what you say completely contrasts to what [MENTION=117]grump[/MENTION] says in an earlier post that you can do it on road tyres. And also I’ve been told I don’t want aggressive tyres for sand. So I’ll just say I’ve split the difference and gone halfway.

The Kings are installed and hardly feel stiffer than stock. It’s raised it up, I’ve started putting a bit of weight in the back and it truly doesn’t feel that different. Once I have the Outback loaded to the brim, they should be fine and hopefully sitting at stock height. Probably better than dragging my bum over the ground and having to replace struts halfway across the country. We’ll see though I guess!

hhouston6 said:

I can’t get LT tyres that fit on the stock 18” rims that fit on a Subie.

Click to expand...

Mate seriously do NOT run 18s on the "roads" you're planning on doing!
Fine on bitumen but as soon as you head off the black top onto typical outback dirt roads the harsh ride will be literally bone jarring, esp with raised springs. That will set yourself up for many punctures plus car damage

Definitely looked into it. But also what you say completely contrasts to what [MENTION=117]grump[/MENTION] says in an earlier post that you can do it on road tyres

Click to expand...

Grump didn't mention doing it on low profile 18" tyres. He has a 03 BH Outback, probably running 65 or 70 profile 16" tyres, although he didn't mention what rubber he's on. And you're going to much more remote areas where low profile 18" tyres are not stocked & might take several weeks to get in, at considerable cost. Have you allowed for this?

He also didn't mention the Gibb River Road. Please research the roads you're planning. The GRR is remote & full of sharp rocks. I'm sure some of the others have commented on that.

I don't agree with his opinion on roads tyres, neither do 99% of the people who live in these areas & drive these roads every day. But we're all entitled to opinions

Do you have a satelllite phone or EPIRB? your mobile phone won't have reception in most of these remote areas until you get to a hotspot

Low profile 18" non LT tyres is such a high risk. Put it this way, if I was running a trip to these areas, I would simply refuse anyone to come along on 18" low profile non LT rubber. It would be a flat no (pun intended lol)

I strongly suggest you fit 17" LT tyres but at the end of the day it's your car, your decision. I wish you the best of luck

Absolutely agree with Nachaluva - 18" wheels with very little sidewall out there is asking for trouble ;-)

Well while you guys are discussing whether 0.2” to 0.4” more sidewall on a 17” rim will make my life worth living or not, I’ll be travelling the country in my Subaru, with the mods I decided on for my travel plans and my budget. I’ll let you know whether it was a mistake when I get back.

We're just trying to help mate, passing on our knowledge & experience. It's up to you what you do with that...

Good luck with the trip & yes, please do report back how you go

Update

I’ve been on the road in the Outback for about 2 weeks now. Pretty stoked! I have the car loaded up to the GVM and thanks to the Kings springs the car is sitting at pretty much stock height. I’ve taken it on it’s first 4wd experience to Cape Peron in Shark Bay, WA. Absolutely cruised through, occasionally scraping the sump guard.

Some other additions since the last post are, roof pod, recovery tracks, and a rear spare wheel bag but mounted to the roof racks on top of the recovery tracks for putting rubbish or firewood not in the car. Been working a treat so far.

Anyway, hope some of this might help someone in future.